Operational data of telecommunication companies that pay into the Oklahoma Universal Service Fund fees became a point of contention at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission on Wednesday as the Public Utilities Division requested a protective order for the data in upcoming annual audits.

Oklahoma Corporation Commission member Todd Hiett staked his campaign on fighting federal overreach, but there may not be much the agency can do to combat national laws. The utility regulatory agency will oversee one of its largest rate cases in a decade. It could cause rates to increase by 20 percent. Yet Hiett’s experience and personality will help the agency manage challenges of federal clean air rules, said Bill Hume, energy and natural resources attorney at Phillips Murrah.

It isn’t often that the swearing-in ceremony of an official provokes mirth, unless someone flubs his lines, raises the wrong hand or otherwise stumbles. But on Monday, former House Speaker Todd Hiett, a newly elected member of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, was spot-on in agreeing to the terms of the special oath of office for members of the regulatory panel.